Crossmolina Deel Rovers (Mayo) 1-12 Caragh (Kildare) 0-6
2002 All-IRELAND senior club football champions Ballinderry Shamrocks will meet 2001 national kingpins Crossmolina Deel Rovers after the two sides produced dominant performances in their respective semi-final clashes this afternoon.
Leinster clubs have a spectacularly dreadful record in this competition, with just three semi-final victories and no All-Ireland titles in 21 campaigns now, so it was no huge surprise that Crossmolina had things all their own way against Caragh of Kildare in Pearse Park.
However the more eye-catching performance was arguably that of Ballinderry, who took on a highly-rated Austin Stacks team in Parnell Park, outscoring them by 0-9 to 0-2 in what was a dominant final 20 minutes.
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The opening quarter was thoroughly enjoyable fare, with Conor O’Neill kicking a majestic point for Ballinderry while impressive defenders Dylan Casey and Joey Nagle both came forward to pick off good points for the Tralee club, the latter fisting over at the end of a move that started with Aron Mullan having his goal attempt blocked down at the opposite end of the pitch.
A black card for Stacks wing forward Daniel Kirby proved to be a game-changer however, even though by the time the half-time whistle sounded and Kirby’s time in purgatory was brought to an end, it seemed like the Munster champions had seen out their shorthanded spell incredibly well.
Greg Horan and Gareth McKinless go toe-to-toe. Leah Scholes / INPHO
Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO
0-3 to 0-2 ahead at the time of the sanction, they restricted Ballinderry to a number of hopeful, long distance shots in that time, and at the other end, Paddy Lane won a high ball and clipped the ball over the bar to double the lead, turning down what seemed like an obvious goal chance as he cut in from the right corner of the attack.
What this ten-minute spell did, however, was it changed the way the game was played. The end-to-end nature of the contest had given way to more cautious, probing football and while there were still plenty of physical contests when the ball was there to be won, that extra moment that teams had to either pick out their pass or else reshape their defence seemed to suit Ballinderry every time.
After conceding a point to Daniel Kirby in the 37th minute, Ballinderry were watertight in defence, and point by point, they squeezed the life out of Stacks at the other end. Darren Lawn was tireless and productive, Ryan Bell and Conor O’Neill penetrated the defence well, while county stars Ben and Gareth McKinless seemed to control the game from deep. By the time the final whistle sounded, it looked like the Derry side would have gone further and further in front, the longer the game went on.
In Longford, Jordan Flynn was the driving force behind Crossmolina’s nine-point win, with his county colleague Conor Loftus also very much to the fore.
After a tight start, Loftus’s penalty in the 14th minute put the North Mayo club in the driving seat and while points from Daragh Swords and Ryan Burke made it 1-4 to 0-4 at half time, suggesting the Kildare club were in the mix on a day when there was no real wind advantage, the start of the second half proved otherwise.
Fionnán Duffy, Jason Flynn and Patrick Leddy were among the scorers as Crossmolina rattled off six points on the trot, and all across the middle, it seemed as if Brian Benson’s men had the advantage in terms of physicality and athleticism.
Two late points from Eoghan Ó Haire and Jake Corrigan came far too late to put the westerners under any real pressure, so they now stand just 60 minutes away from becoming the second Mayo club to win this title, eight years after a Lee Keegan inspired Westport side blazed the trail.
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Ballinderry blitz Austin Stacks to set up Croke Park showdown with Crossmolina
All-Ireland Club IFC Semi-Finals
2002 All-IRELAND senior club football champions Ballinderry Shamrocks will meet 2001 national kingpins Crossmolina Deel Rovers after the two sides produced dominant performances in their respective semi-final clashes this afternoon.
Leinster clubs have a spectacularly dreadful record in this competition, with just three semi-final victories and no All-Ireland titles in 21 campaigns now, so it was no huge surprise that Crossmolina had things all their own way against Caragh of Kildare in Pearse Park.
However the more eye-catching performance was arguably that of Ballinderry, who took on a highly-rated Austin Stacks team in Parnell Park, outscoring them by 0-9 to 0-2 in what was a dominant final 20 minutes.
The opening quarter was thoroughly enjoyable fare, with Conor O’Neill kicking a majestic point for Ballinderry while impressive defenders Dylan Casey and Joey Nagle both came forward to pick off good points for the Tralee club, the latter fisting over at the end of a move that started with Aron Mullan having his goal attempt blocked down at the opposite end of the pitch.
A black card for Stacks wing forward Daniel Kirby proved to be a game-changer however, even though by the time the half-time whistle sounded and Kirby’s time in purgatory was brought to an end, it seemed like the Munster champions had seen out their shorthanded spell incredibly well.
0-3 to 0-2 ahead at the time of the sanction, they restricted Ballinderry to a number of hopeful, long distance shots in that time, and at the other end, Paddy Lane won a high ball and clipped the ball over the bar to double the lead, turning down what seemed like an obvious goal chance as he cut in from the right corner of the attack.
What this ten-minute spell did, however, was it changed the way the game was played. The end-to-end nature of the contest had given way to more cautious, probing football and while there were still plenty of physical contests when the ball was there to be won, that extra moment that teams had to either pick out their pass or else reshape their defence seemed to suit Ballinderry every time.
After conceding a point to Daniel Kirby in the 37th minute, Ballinderry were watertight in defence, and point by point, they squeezed the life out of Stacks at the other end. Darren Lawn was tireless and productive, Ryan Bell and Conor O’Neill penetrated the defence well, while county stars Ben and Gareth McKinless seemed to control the game from deep. By the time the final whistle sounded, it looked like the Derry side would have gone further and further in front, the longer the game went on.
In Longford, Jordan Flynn was the driving force behind Crossmolina’s nine-point win, with his county colleague Conor Loftus also very much to the fore.
After a tight start, Loftus’s penalty in the 14th minute put the North Mayo club in the driving seat and while points from Daragh Swords and Ryan Burke made it 1-4 to 0-4 at half time, suggesting the Kildare club were in the mix on a day when there was no real wind advantage, the start of the second half proved otherwise.
Fionnán Duffy, Jason Flynn and Patrick Leddy were among the scorers as Crossmolina rattled off six points on the trot, and all across the middle, it seemed as if Brian Benson’s men had the advantage in terms of physicality and athleticism.
Two late points from Eoghan Ó Haire and Jake Corrigan came far too late to put the westerners under any real pressure, so they now stand just 60 minutes away from becoming the second Mayo club to win this title, eight years after a Lee Keegan inspired Westport side blazed the trail.
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